Drilling moratorium overturned by judge with oil business holdings

A federal judge overturned the six-month deep water drilling moratorium within the Gulf of Mexico. The ruling issued Tuesday cited economic hardship due to the ban and explained the government overreached by suspending all deep-water drilling operations prepared in the gulf. Oil companies hailed the ruling. The Department of Justice said they wanted to appeal the decision immediately. Meanwhile, as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 gushed for the 63rd day, about 106 million gallons of crude and counting have spilled to the sea.

Article Source: Drilling moratorium overturned by judge with oil company holdings by Personal Money Store

Possibility of drilling moratorium judge being invested in oil

The drilling moratorium was overturned by Judge Martin L.C. Feldman after a grouping of oil rig service companies filed a complaint. It was reported by ABC News that recent disclosure documents indicate that Feldman, who was appointed to the bench by Ronald Reagan, has had financial holdings in oil companies. Feldman said the Interior Department acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” when it decided to issue a six-month moratorium on drilling new deep-water wells in the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean. Feldman of course a preliminary injunction to Hornbeck Offshore Services to lift the drilling moratorium, explaining that the government “failed to cogently reflect the decision to issue a blanket, generic, indeed punitive, moratorium.”

More deep-water drilling uncertain

The moratorium was imposed to give a presidential panel time to come up with recommendations on how to keep away from a repeat of the BP oil spill disaster. The Los Angeles Times reports that it remains uncertain whether the Interior Department would have to start issuing new permits to drill. With an appeal virtually certain to come from the Obama administration, some analysts doubt that oil companies would want to start a major deep-water drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico with the possibility it may have to shut down if the appeal succeeds.

Oil companies spin drilling moratorium

The American Petroleum Institute praised today’s ruling, saying in a written statement, “The moratorium was an original response to concerns about the safety of offshore oil and natural gas operations. However, an extended moratorium would have a tremendous impact on the nation’s energy security – and cause significant harm to the region of the country that was already suffering from the spill – without raising safety or improving industry procedures.”

Containment failure for BP oil spill

Within the meantime CNN reports that government estimates indicate as much as 60,000 barrels (2.5 million gallons) of oil may be flowing into the Gulf each day, and the gusher has already taken a significant toll on tourism and also the fishing industry in Gulf Coast states. On Tuesday BP announced it had succeeded in collecting less than half of the estimated daily output: 25,830 barrels (1.08 million gallons) of oil over the past 24 hours. The amount is the most that has ever been collected; the previous record was set June 18 when 25,290 barrels were collected. BP explained that it will donate net revenues it receives from the sale of oil recovered from the spill to help the National Fish and Wildlife Federation deal with the oil it won’t be collecting from the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico 2010.

Citations
ABC News

abcnews.go.com/Politics/gulf-oil-spill-disaster-judge-overrules-white-house/story?id=10983980&page=2

Los Angeles times

latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-spill-moratorium-20100623,,7804590.story

CNN

cnn.com/2010/US/06/22/gulf.oil.disaster/index.html?npt=NP1

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$ 55,000? Easy to forget for one Congressman

One would think that getting a personel loans isn’t usually an easy thing to forget. Congressman Gregory Meeks from Queens, though, seems to have just “forgotten” about over $ 55,000 in personal loans. As a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, Meeks is one of the senior representatives from New York.

Article Resource: Gregory Meeks forgets to disclose $ 55,000 in personal loans

The “oversight” of Congressman Gregory Meeks

Gregory Meeks evidently had two personel loans that he “neglected” in an “oversight” to list on his financial disclosure statements. Meeks said that he did learn about these loans, but he refused to say who they were from or what they were for. These loans were one $ 40,000 loan in 2007 and one $ 15,000 loan in 2008. These loans were both listed as “personal unsecured loans.” Meeks also has a loan worth $ 50,000 to $ 100,000 with a Queens businessman.

The needs for financial disclosure

The financial situation of U.S. House members must be disclosed once a year. Due halfway through May each year, these disclosure statements consist of incomes, assets, and liabilities. Because his disclosure was sent in months late, the 2009 disclosure from Gregory Meeks was questioned. Meeks said a “careful and thorough review” was initiated, and this review found the “oversight” in his disclosure. Technically, these disclosures are intended to be public, though the House Clerk and Secretary of State, with whom they must be filed, do not post these disclosures online.

Charges within the future for Gregory Meeks?

This $ 55,000 oversight could easily lead to official disciplinary action for Gregory Meeks. House Rule XXVI states that Gregory Meeks could be charged with a violation of the ethics code . Second, his congressional constituents could take action against him. These “small” cash loans probably won’t lead to any charges unless there are additional difficulties or improprieties with the administration of these loans. It can be up to the voters to determine within the next election whether Gregory Meeks should face consequences or not.

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In May, new home sales fall to record low after tax credit expires

New home sales fell as outlined by a report by the Commerce Department released June 23. A slide in new home sales statistics was expected following the home buyer tax credit expired in April. But the 32.7 percent drop in May was so much more than expected. Existing home sales dropped also, surprising forecasters who expected them to rise. Unemployment is the primary reason the housing market is doing this bad without the tax credit. Sharp declines in the housing market, a critical component of consumer spending, are threatening the fitful U.S. economic recovery.

Article Resource: New home sales fall to record low in May after tax credit expires

New home sales – a new low

New home sales, in March and April, surged as homebuyers hurried to purchase homes before the April 30 deadline for the tax credit. Homebuyers have until June 30 to close the deals for the home tax credit, but the Senate may vote to push that deadline back to Sept. 30. CNNMoney.com reports that the May decline of 32.7 percent is there to represent a drop to 300,000 homes from 446,000 in April. Sales year-over-year fell 18.3 percent. It was said by the Commerce Department that the May figures are the slowest sales pace since it started tracking home sales statistics in 1963. The prior record was set in September 1981, when new homes sold at 338,000.

Consumer spending takes a hit

The decline in new home sales leads to a decline in housing prices, which leads to a decline consumer spending as well — the biggest threat to economic recovery. Business Week reports that the drop in residential construction is going to sap consumer spending that accounts for about 70 percent of the U.S. economy. There’s direct correlation between home sales and spending on things such as furniture, appliances and building materials. On June 11 the Commerce Department reported that sales at U.S. retailers fell 1.2 percent in May, the first decline in eight months, led by a record 9.3 percent plunge at building-material stores.

New home sales statistics makes government wary

New home sales fell easily across the U.S., with sales down more than 50 percent within the West. MarketWatch reports that housing market stats in May terrible across the board. Housing starts fell 10 percent, building permits fell 5.9 percent, mortgage applications dropped and the home builders’ index fell by five points. The dark cloud’s silver lining was mortgage rates, which stayed very low. One more glimmer of hope may be that government statisticians have such a low confidence in the monthly Commerce Department new home sales report, which is subject to major revisions, sampling flaws and statistical errors. The government says it can take up to four months to establish a statistically significant trend in sales.

US unemployment rate is who we blame

New home sales are being affected by the U.S. job market. Edward Leamer, who’s an economist at the University of California, Los Angeles, told MarketWatch that unemployment is the main reason housing is weakening without the tax credit to spur demand. The U.S. economy would have to grow at a 5 percent to 6 percent rate to create “significant reductions” in joblessness. “People won’t purchase homes when they’re worried about their jobs,” he said.

Additional info at these websites

CNN Money.com

money.cnn.com/2010/06/23/real_estate/new_home_sales/?npt=NP1

businessweek.com

businessweek.com/news/2010-06-23/housing-market-threatens-u-s-recovery-as-sales-slide.html

Marketwatch.com

marketwatch.com/story/new-home-sales-plunge-33-to-record-low-in-may-2010-06-23?reflink=MW_news_stmp

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Gen. David Petraeus replaces commander disgraced by Rolling Stone

Gen. David Petraeus was named to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as being the new U.S. commander in the Afghanistan war. After McChrystal was portrayed in Rolling Stone as openly contemptuous of President Obama and key members of his national security team, McChrystal offered his resignation and Obama accepted it. Opinion has been universal so far that to preserve America’s civilian control over the military, McChrystal needed to go and that Petraeus is the best choice to take over in Afghanistan.

Article Source: Gen. David Petraeus replaces commander disgraced by Rolling Stone by Personal Money Store

Political savvy of Petraeus

Gen. David Petraeus, who’s the head of the U.S. Central Command, took what looked like certain failure in Iraq and brought the U.S. war there toward an acceptable outcome. David Ignatius of the Washington Post said that if the Taliban sold stock, its price would have fallen dramatically after Wednesday’s announcement that Petraeus would assume control in Afghanistan. Ignatius also said that Petraeus is the most deft political figure that he has ever seen in uniform who always remembered that he worked for civilian leadership.

A win-win for Obama with Petraeus

Appointing Gen. Petraeus after McChrystal’s challenge to his leadership is a win-win for Obama, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Obama gains a top commander that comes back within the field, and he also reasserts his role as civilian commander in chief. After insulting comments about the president and made by Gen. McChrystal and his staff to a reporter from Rolling Stone, Obama easily summoned the general from Afghanistan to Washington and he won’t be going back.

Gen. McChrystal’s apology no help

Gen. McChrystal apologized for the Rolling Stone article on Tuesday but didn’t say that he was at all misrepresented by it. CNN reports that a source close to McChrystal said that during the 30-minute meeting that happened between Obama and McChrystal on Tuesday, McChrystal briefly explained the Rolling Stone article that derailed his career, took responsibility and then offered his resignation. The president “had no intention of keeping him,” according to this source. McChrystal’s personal belongings will be shipped home from Afghanistan.

New boss same as old boss

Gen. Petraeus represents a change in style but not of any kind of substance as outlined by Michael Hastings, the freelance writer of the Rolling Stone article at the center of the controversy. On rollingstone.com June 23, Hastings wrote that when Obama swapped out McChrystal with Petraeus the president said it was a change in personnel, not policy, and policy has been the problem all along. Hastings said that Obama picked Petraeus because he is a master at telling Americans what they want to hear. It could be Petraeus’ job to spin Afghanistan from a defeat into a face-saving draw after spending hundreds of billions of dollars and thousands of lives that won’t make us any safer from terrorists.

Citations

Washington Post

washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/23/AR2010062304005.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2010/0623/In-replacing-McChrystal-with-Gen.-David-Petraeus-Obama-reasserts-authority

CNN

edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/06/23/general.mcchrystal.obama.apology/?hpt=T1&imw=Y&fbid=w2XX2duDWrt

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People who purchase health insurance independently facing steep hikes

Health insurance premiums for individuals who purchase coverage on their own are soaring, as outlined by a study released Monday. When lawmakers debated the health care reform bill, health insurance companies were trying with many effort to make as much money as they could before the law’s provisions kick in. Individuals facing sharp increases in their insurance premiums are trying with all of their might to conserve money by settling for fewer benefits and higher deductibles. Meanwhile, steadily rising insurance premiums and a drop within the number of employers offering health coverage swelled the ranks of the uninsured by nearly 3 million individuals in 2009.

Source for this article: People who purchase health insurance on their own facing steep hikes by Personal Money Store

Cost trends of health insurance

Premium hikes for health insurance for individuals far exceed increases in the premiums for employer-sponsored coverage, as reported by a new survey on health insurance cost trends from the Kaiser Family Foundation. The Associated Press reports the non-profit foundation said premium hikes for individual coverage averaged 20 percent. Customers who got to switch to cheaper plans brought the average increase in what individuals are paying for health insurance down to 13 percent. This year’s individual health insurance premium spike tops last year’s 5 percent average increase for employer-sponsored family coverage. Health insurance cost trends for some of the employer-sponsored single coverage held steady.

Health insurance for individuals is costly

The rising cost of health insurance for individuals made news earlier this year when Anthem Blue Cross tried to raise its rates by 39 percent in California. It was reported by the New York Times the Kaiser study sheds light on how widespread these premium hikes are. As outlined by the New York Times, when the proposed Anthem hikes were met with outrage from federal and state officials, there was little info about how widespread such increases were in other parts of the country. Drew Altman, who was the Kaiser foundation’s president and chief executive, told the Times that “The survey shows that the steep increases we are reading about over the last several months are not just extreme cases.”

Health care reform a long wait

The Kaiser survey highlights the challenges that about 14 million people younger than 65 who purchase their coverage within the individual market will face until changes under the health care reform law kick in 2014. By then, all Americans can be required to have health insurance or risk paying a fine. In the meantime, 52 percent of respondents in the Kaiser survey who buy individual health coverage said they would keep their current plan next year, when 32 percent said they are not sure. To cut costs, an additional 14 percent said they would switch companies.

Health care insurance plans have high deductibles

To try and save many money, people are getting plans that have higher deductibles. The average deductible is $ 2,500. There is an annual deductible of $ 5,000 or more. The number of those with high deductibles rose from 39 percent in 2007 to 47 percent in 2009.

Millions sacrificing health insurance coverage

For the 2.9 million U.S. adults who joined those uninsured in 2009, health care reform does little to help them with their current needs. It was reported by USA Today that in 2009 — the latest statistics accessible — 46.3 million American adults had no health insurance coverage, as outlined by a new report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s about one in five working-age adults with no health insurance coverage. The percentage of uninsured adults climbed from 19.7 percent to 21.1 percent in 2009, and 58.5 percent of American adults went without insurance for at least part of the year.

A lot more data on this topic

Associated Press

google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5je_4AEzpzQnfbTmeeOg1yUO9jWRgD9GFOU080

New York Times

nytimes.com/2010/06/22/business/22kaiser.html?src=busln

USA Today

usatoday.com/news/health/2010-06-20-uninsured-reform_N.htm

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Third Way net neutrality proposed by FCC

Net neutrality is affordable internet access to all Americans. Some broadband providers have proposed to start charging quite a bit a lot more to their customers for higher levels of service, much like cell phone companies. The Federal Communications Commission began a huge uproar within the net neutrality debate that happened on Thursday when it announced that it will seek public remark on imposing new regulations on Internet service providers to keep them from offering tiered service. In the meantime, Capitol Hill tries to define FCC’s authority better. But the FCC doesn’t want to have to wait for Congress to get around to it before it regains control of the net neutrality issue.

Article Resource: FCC proposes net neutrality 3rd Way By Personal Money Store

The FCC net neutrality

Consumer groups and free speech advocate organizations such as savetheinternet.com are in favor of net neutrality. Those against it are internet service providers and free market advocates. Until last week the two proposed versions of net neutrality legislation would prohibit: (1) the “tiering” of broadband through sale of voice- or video-oriented Quality of Service packages; and (2) content- or service-sensitive blocking or censorship for broadband carriers. The FCC released last week the “Third Way” plan.

Net neutrality and also the Third Way

Net neutrality under the 3rd way, as reported by the Washington Post, is this: Currently, broadband is defined as an info service, which means it doesn’t face much FCC oversight. The new plan could be to shift broadband into the very same classification as all of the telephone service, which would trigger more oversight by the agency. The FCC says it would not subject Internet service providers to the full brunt of regulation that would come with the new classification.

Net neutrality case for Comcast

The FCC’s 3rd Way is an effort to regain control of the net neutrality issue in reaction to a Federal Court decision in April that overturned a 2008 FCC ruling in the Comcast net neutrality case. In 2007, Comcast was found to be severely delaying BitTorrent uploads on their network, claiming that downloading huge amounts of data was clogging the network. In August 2008, the FCC ruled that Comcast broke the law when it throttled the bandwidth accessible to certain customers for video files in order to make certain that other customers had adequate bandwidth.

Time Warner and also the net neutrality challenge

In a 2009 test of the net neutrality issue, Time Warner Cable announced that its intention is to offer broadband packages in 10GB, 20GB, 40GB and 60GB increments. The plan has a charge of $1 per GB capped at $75. Time Warner launched the pricing system in various markets. Later the business announced that it would offer larger packages but public discontent remained. They had to abandon the Time Warner net neutrality challenge eventually.

The support network of net neutrality

The FCC voted Thursday to start the controversial procedure for reclassifying high-speed Internet access to give the agency authority over service providers that would prevent disparate treatment of customers. The Channel Web reports that a week ago, a group of 13 companies including Amazon, Google and Sony sent the FCC a letter in support of the Third Way saying that it will ensure that consumers have access to an open Internet, one that would preserve a level playing field for all participants. The net neutrality supporters said the Third Way does so without regulating any of the Internet but by applying some basic rules of the road to the transmission services that provide access to the Internet.

Being against net neutrality

Republicans in Congress are adamantly against net neutrality any which way. It was reported by the LA Times that Republicans offer the familiar argument that the 3rd Way is a lot more government meddling in a free market that will stunt innovation and investment, echoing their Internet-service provider patrons. Texas Republican senator Kay Bailey Hutchison speaking out against net neutrality said the agency has surely made “new burdensome regulations that threaten to stifle the growth of America’s broadband services.”

Google net neutrality letter

Google approved of FCC’s decision. ”As we have said before, broadband infrastructure is too essential to be left outside of any oversight,” the business explained on The Official Google Blog. Massachusetts Democratic senator Edward J. Markey applauded the FCC’s move, calling it a “light-touch regulatory proposal” that would ensure “continued innovation, consumer protection and certainty in the broadband marketplace.”

More information on this topic

savetheinternet.com

savetheinternet.com/

Washington Post

voices.washingtonpost.com/posttech/2010/06/fcc_votes_to_seek_comment_on_i.html

Channel web

crn.com/networking/224701332

Los Angeles times

latimes.com/business/la-fi-0618-fcc-broadband-20100618,,5300272.story

Google blog

googleblog.blogspot.com/

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Lightning starts Touchdown Jesus on fire

In Monroe, Ohio, Touchdown Jesus has burned to the ground when lightning struck the statue. The Solid Rock Church was lit on fire by the flaming Touchdown Jesus as well. The damages are estimated at $ 700,000 – and nobody was injured.

Article Source: Big Butter Jesus on fire – Lightning strikes Solid Rock Church By Personal Money Store

Big Butter Jesus fire started by lightning

Taller than the church within the area, the Touchdown Jesus statue was over 60 feet tall. When a large thunderstorm brewed in the area, lightning hit the statue. Effortlessly ignited, the buttery-yellow Styrofoam and fiberglass structure easily ignited. Fire crews were on the scene within six minutes of receiving the call that Solid Rock Church and Touchdown Jesus were burning.

Fire damages church and statue

As the welcoming statue for the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, OH, Big Butter Jesus was built in 1992. the nearby theater on fire. Though the building was not badly damaged, the audio equipment was very severely damaged. The repair bill for the statue and theater will run over half a million dollars. The church does plan on “fully rebuilding” anything that was damaged – including Big Butter Jesus.

The statue was up for renovation

In 2004, the mega church Solid Rock built the “King of Kings” statue – which easily became known the Big Butter Jesus. The “Big Butter Jesus” sculpture was built by a sculptor known for his work with Disney and Caesar’s Palace. Only six years old, the sculpture was already slated for restoration. This fire does, nevertheless, give Solid Rock Church the chance to re-submit a new sculpture for the Guinness Book of World Records category of “World’s Largest Christ”.

Resources:

DaytonDailyNews.com

religion.blogs.cnn.com

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UK Office of Fair Trading votes no on payday loans cap

Payday loan laws – specifically capping rates – is nothing new to American political theater. Yet not all nations are so quick to cap the pay day loan; they allow the wheels of the free market economy to dictate price. The Guardian newspaper reports the UK’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has found that an interest rate cap on payday lenders is unnecessary, claiming that a lack of competition would harm that sector of the financial marketplace.

Resource for this article: UK Office of Fair Trading says no to payday loan rate cap

Paydayloans system imperfect, but working ‘reasonably well’

Access to easy loans and other forms of consumer credit that fall under the general pay day banner is important for credit-constrained consumers. The OFT recognizes that market competition has helped regulate payday loans prices. The OFT claims that the current pay day loan competitive market regulates itself “reasonably well,” although improvements could possibly be made that don’t involve a rate cap. The OFT has moved forward with their pro-payday loan freedom stance, despite heavy resistance from the Archbishop of Canterbury and a variety of other special interest charity groups. However, the OFT did recommend further investigation into how an industry-wide “code of practice” could be instituted for the UK pay day loans industry.

Finance and Lending Association nods in approval of OFT move

A pay day loans interest rate cap “would have adverse unintended consequences for consumers, including for the cost and availability of credit,” said Finance and Lending Association Head of Consumer Finance Fiona Hoyle to The Guardian. If governments follow the Office of Fair Trading’s lead regarding rate caps – and take note of the Dartmouth University study in the U.S. on the effects of payday loans no fax rate caps in Washington and Oregon State – maybe they’ll see just how maintaining competition can aid the consumer when still allowing easy cash loans outlets to reasonably profit.

A severe crack down solves nothing

Marie Burton of the independent group Consumer Focus indicated to The Guardian that driving down price when maintaining healthy free market competition is a tall order even for the OFT. It may be the ideal, but the UK payday loan industry still has some road to travel before arriving at that goal. Banks and credit unions have failed to mount significant competition in the short-term consumer lending market in The United States, but the OFT believes that finding a way to level the field by introducing them successfully to the UK market could be of great benefit to the consumer.

More data on this topic

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/jun/15/doorstep-lenders-interest-rate-cap/

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GOP apology given to Tony Hayward for White House shakedown

Tony Hayward opened his testimony in Congress on Thursday afternoon by apologizing on behalf of BP for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010. But he was upstaged by an additional apology from a Republican for the White House “shakedown” of BP for a $20 billion dollar fund to cover damages from the oil spill. Lawmakers gave some wrath on the beleaguered oil business executive at the House Energy and Commerce listening to investigating the oil spill. The shakedown apology to Hayward from Texas Republican Joe Barton was also pretty predictable considering the representative’s record.

Article Source: Tony Hayward receives G.O.P. apology for White House shakedown

When gusher flows, Tony Hayward sits

While Tony Hayward took his lumps, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico reached at least 100 million gallons according to government estimates. It was reported by the New York Times that the oil spill cap BP has been using given that June 3 has collected about 15,000 barrels a day. Scientists estimated Tuesday the BP oil leak ranges from 35,000 barrels to 60,000 barrels a day — which is very much up from the flow rate they issued only last week, of 25,000 to 30,000 barrels a day. It continues a pattern in which each new estimate of the flow rate has been dramatically higher than the one before.

Listening to dominated by political posturing

For 90 minutes, Tony Hayward listened as lawmakers made opening statements. Democrats seemed like they were led by California Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, harshly criticized BP for the shortcuts it took that lead to the disaster. Republicans used the televised listening to as a really great possibility to criticize the Obama administration for its response to the BP oil spill. As they used the listening to to score a whole bunch of political points with their base, Republicans accused the administration for using the listening to to put the oil industry out of business to advance its energy policies.

Joe Barton was ashamed of the BP “shakedown”

Tony received his own apology before he had a chance to apologize. Barton said he was “ashamed of what happened within the White House yesterday. I apologize. I don’t want to live in a country where any time a citizen or corporation does anything wrong, they’re subjected to such political pressure.” He named it as “a tragedy of the first proportion, that a private corporation could be subjected to what I’d characterize as a shakedown, a $20 billion shakedown.” It was reported by Reuters that Republicans are seeking to pick up seats from majority Democrats in November’s congressional elections. Using BP’s $20 billion oil spill damage fund to try desperately to criticize the Obama administration is a politically risky stance that is bound to be unpopular within the Gulf region, where out-of-work fishermen are desperate for claims payments to survive economically.

Barton’s shakedown wasn’t a surprise

Tony Hayward might have been shocked at Barton’s shakedown. But it was reported by the Washington Post that for Barton, outrageous statements about energy and climate change are nothing new. Barton is the biggest recipient of oil and gas industry campaign contributions of all the individuals in the House of Representatives as outlined by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Some of these comments included:

Barton on wind energy:
“Wind is God’s way of balancing heat. Wind is the way you shift heat from areas where it is hotter to areas where it is cooler. That’s what wind is. Wouldn’t it be ironic if within the interest of global warming we mandated massive switches to energy, which is a finite resource, which slows the winds down, which causes the temperature to go up?”

Barton on climate change:

“I think that it’s inevitable that humanity will adapt to global warming. I also believe the longer we postpone finding ways to do it (adapt) successfully, the more expensive and unpalatable the adjustment will become. Adaptation to shifts in temperature is not that difficult.”

Barton on Co2:

“CO2 is odorless, colorless, tasteless – it’s not a threat to human health in terms of being exposed to it. We create it as we talk back and forth. So, and if you go beyond that, on a net basis, there’s ample evidence that warming generically — however it is caused — is a net benefit to mankind.”

Hayward gets his apology in edgewise

Tony Hayward finally got his chance to apologize after a protester, smeared in black, disrupted his testimony by shouting that he should be charged with a crime. After she left the room, Hayward said he was “deeply sorry,” and that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 should have never happened. He also offered his condolences to anybody who knew the 11 individuals who died in the explosion of the oil rig that set the disaster in motion. Hayward has yet to face any questions from a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which recessed after his statement to allow members to vote. But he won’t be expecting any more apologies.

Citations

New York Times
nytimes.com/2010/06/17/us/17spill.html
Reuters
reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65G42D20100617?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews
Washington Post
voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/06/joe-bartons-bp-shakedown-comme.html

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Microsoft announces Xbox Kinect motion-controlled gaming

During the E3 trade show, Microsoft announced the Xbox 360 Kinect controller system. The Xbox Kinect is the official name for the Natal project Microsoft announced last year. Much like the Wii gaming system, the Xbox Kinect encourages real movement – but unlike the Wii, the Kinect will focus on full-body movement. As an add-on package to the Xbox 360 gaming system, the Kinect will be sold in November or October of this year.

Article Resource: Microsoft Xbox Kinect – Motion-controlled gaming goes hands free

How the Xbox 360 Kinect will work

A two-camera system is built into the Xbox Kinect. One RGB camera will recognize your face and joints, while one more could be programmed specifically to recognize depth. This system tracks full-body motion and movements by combining input from these two cameras.This system is intended to remove the need for a separate controller.

Playing on the Kinect

Xbox will offer games bundled with the Kinect, as well as on Xbox Live and on discs. LucasArts is partnering with the Microsoft Kinect application designers to create a Star Wars game that could be a heavily-scripted, light-saber smash-em-up game. There will even be a general sports game, a dance challenge, and a lot more. Numerous gamers are already drooling over the possibility of Halo Reach migrating to Kinect.

Will Kinect be the only live controller

Since the success of the Nintendo Wii, many game console makers are developing a lot more interactive game systems. However, you will find other alternatives to the Microsoft Kinect. Sony’s Move system will sell for about half the price of the Kinect. The original success of the Nintendo Wii proved that gaming consoles might be sold to somebody other than just hard-core gamers. When the Xbox was initially released by Microsoft, the company lost over $ 1 billion – the system was a commercial success, but they did not sell enough units to hard-core gamers.

Citations

Engadget.com

edition.cnn.com

VG247.com

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